For the first time the hospitality industry of Cape Town has had a taste of the power of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with about 25 000 England supporters streaming into the city on Friday, to see their team play Algeria, in what many described as a most disappointing match, with a goal-less draw. The visitors to Cape Town are loving the city and its fantastic “winter” weather, today in particular, and it will be sure to have a good tourism spin-off for future visits.
Accommodation establishments are booked out, restaurants and pubs are filled with patrons, and the V&A Waterfront was reported on Twitter to be “swarming with tourists”, with a warning issued to locals to “do not go”! The most popular pub in the Waterfront for the English fans is Ferryman’s Tavern, its special ale suiting the British taste, reports The Times. A pod of whales even came close to the Cape Town Stadium in Table Bay, in honour of the British visitors!
The accommodation bookings were extremely last minute, with the last available four of the 11 rooms at Whale Cottage Camps Bay, for example, being sold out in the last 24 hours prior to the start of the match. The average length of stay is just three days, until the England fans head off elsewhere tomorrow. Camps Bay’s beachfront was spilling over with fans packing pavement cafes and restaurants, as on a summer’s day, despite the overcast day yesterday.
The city is looking festive, with the red-and-white England flag adorning many an accommodation establishment, and restaurants and pubs. The feared soccer hooligans did not travel to Cape Town, it would appear, the cost of the ticket prices being a deterrent.
A highlight for Cape Town is the VIP presence at the match on Friday of the Princes William and Harry, looking very uncomfortable in their suits; Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London; and David Beckham, sitting at the edge of the pitch. Johnson said: “I’ve been to Cape Town for just two days and the atmosphere is mind-blowing. The nation is united in enthusiasm and the tournament is progressing nicely”, according to the Cape Argus.
It appears that the number of visitors to South Africa has increased since the earlier depressing news that the number of international visitors had reduced, with so many last minute bookings. It appears that many charter flights have entered Cape Town, with groups of 20 – 30 soccer fans on board each, all seemingly last minute bookings. The England fans have been followed by the British media, and it is heartening to note how the reporting by the British media, SkyNews in particular, has changed to reporting far more positively about our country. Last night the TV station showed an interview with its correspondent in Cape Town, filmed on Signal Hill with a beautiful backdrop of the Stadium and Table Bay. The reporter referred to England needing the Cape of Good Hope for its next match!
South African Customs have reported that 456 000 international visitors had entered South Africa between 1 – 13 June, compared to 345 000 visitors in the same period in 2009, reports The Times. Obviously not all visitors are attending the World Cup, especially as many of them flew in as late as 11 June, so they may include the regular cross-border visitors from neighbouring African countries, coming to shop in South Africa.
Next week looks more depressing, the Portugal versus North Korea, and Cameroon versus Netherlands matches not having as much appeal, if accommodation bookings are anything to go by. All fingers are crossed for strong teams making the round of 16, the quarter final and semi-final in Cape Town, as this will fill up Cape Town again.
Good performances by England, Germany, the USA, and the Netherlands in their next matches will have an important influence on last minute fans coming to South Africa, says FEDHASA, reports Fin24. This effect will not be felt if Brazil and Portugal progress to the final stages of the tournament, it is speculated. Only 10 000 German visitors came to South Africa for the World Cup, after national soccer hero and FIFA executive member Franz Beckenbauer expressed his concerns in earlier days about the World Cup having been awarded to South Africa. He bravely changed his tune when he briefly spoke at the World Cup Kick-Off Concert.
No matter who plays whom in the next 20 days of the World Cup, the accommodation bookings are far better in Host Cities than they would have been in any other June and July ever. Whale Cottage Camps Bay now has an occupancy of 65 % for the World Cup, having improved its occupancy by 5 percentage points in the first ten days of the World Cup. Given last minute bookings for the Quarter and Semi Finals, occupancy could end off at around 70 % for Whale Cottage Camps Bay. The reality, however, is that May had the worst occupancy ever, thus balancing the gain with the loss. The Whale Cottages in Hermanus, Plettenberg Bay and Franschhoek have barely gained from the World Cup.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com
